It's queen rearing time - again.

[Madasafish]

Last year I raised 17 queens from my best bees. This followed two years of half successful attempts using cell punching and grafting..but my eyesight is poor and despite varifocal lenses I struggle to focus clearly at short distances (and any distance at all when tired).

I started using the Nicot system where the queen is caged and left to lay in little plastic cups which are then transferred to a frame for starting in a double box hive where the top box is made temporarily queenless using a Cloake Board to isolate the top from the bottom box (where the queen is). Much of the eyesight issue is removed as you can time the system to examine after 3 days of eggs being laid to get small larvae best suited for queen rearing. I cannot see those larvae but I can see the glistening of the pool of royal jelly..

So for this years start I tried 10 cells ex Nicot as above and 10 cells cell punched (a question of luck due to eyesight.)

Picture of double nuc (self made from Cellotex insulation board) and results follow - Nicot bar is upper one.

Costs to produce - err nil .Costs to buy a queen £30-£40 (I overwintered three queens in mini nucs and sold them this Spring)

[nickdub]

Very impressive - takes a lot of knowledge to be successful at something like this.

[Madasafish]

Very impressive - takes a lot of knowledge to be successful at something like this.

Not really. I am fortunate our Association Apiary taught me queen rearing...

It's very satisfying - when it goes well

[self-contained]

I pretty much understood none of what you wrote, but I like the pictures!

Could quite fancy bees. Maybe when I retire?

[Madasafish]

Well six QCs have been sealed on the top bar - and either none or a maximum of 3 on the bottom...(covered in burr comb)

Due to emerge 1st June..

[nickdub]

Well done - lovely looking bees - thanks for posting the photos.